LGBTQIA people make up nearly one-fifth of all active gamers in the US alone, and yet only 2% of all video games have LGBTQIA storylines or characters. This is according to a report from GLAAD, which found this as problematic.
“We are nearly invisible in game representations despite being a significant percentage of gamers,” Sarah Kate Ellis, the president and CEO of GLAAD, said in the report.
The research done by GLAAD with Nielsen Games from June 2023 to August 2023, involving 1,452 respondents. It found that 17% — that’s nearly one in five — active gamers are LGBTQIA. However:
- Games with LGBTQIA characters or storylines account for less than 2% of all games
- 72% of LGBTQIA gamers who see characters with the same sexual orientation or gender identity “represented well makes them feel better about themselves”
- The percentage (78%) of those aged 13 to 17 who found proper representation made them feel better about themselves
- 68% of LGBTQIA gamers “wish there were more prominent LGBTQ storylines in games”
- 70% of LGBTQIA gamers and 46% of non-LGBTQIA gamers said that they “are less likely to buy or play a game if it contains harmful tropes or stereotypes about the LGBTQ community”
The report stressed that particularly for LGBTQIA gamers, “gaming can not only be an escape and source of entertainment, but also an important outlet of self-expression. This is pronounced and urgent for LGBTQIA gamers who live in places around the world where anti-LGBTQIA violence is rising or… where anti-LGBTQIA legislation has been introduced.”
“Games offer the opportunity to explore fantastical worlds, experience narratives in new ways, simulate day-to-day life, and recreate real events ranging from key historical moments to contemporary sporting events,” the report stated. “As LGBTQ(IA) people exist in our world, they must be included in these imagined or recreated worlds.”
